Samsung’s inexpensive Tab A9 Plus is now on sale in the US

Samsung has quietly put its budget Galaxy Tab A9 Plus on sale following its launch in October last year. It starts at $219 for a Wi-Fi-only version, but unlike most other Android tablets around that price, you can pick up a version with 5G. The A9 Plus with a cellular connection costs $269, and you can take your pick from T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and US Cellular versions on Samsung.com. 9to5Google first spotted that the tablet had gone on sale.

The A9 Plus offers an 11-inch screen with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate — a rare feature at this price and definitely something you won’t find on an entry-level iPad. It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and comes with a 7,040mAh battery. The Wi-Fi version comes with either 4GB RAM / 64GB storage or 8GB RAM / 128GB of storage; the 5G version is just offered in the 4GB / 64GB configuration.

For well under $300, that’s an attractive deal on paper, but the A-series tablet misses out on a couple of notable features: S Pen stylus compatibility and an IP rating for water and dust resistance. You’ll have to step up to the Tab S9 series, which starts at $449, if you want either of those things.

There’s one more thing the A-series is missing, too: color. The A9 Plus is available in a very straight-laced navy, graphite, or silver. If you’re looking for mint or lavender, well, you’ll have to pay up.